First Blood
by v a p e w a v e N I C O
Summary: Maki plays league of legends with her friends. Can those friendships stay intact? Can something more... intimate arise in the bottom lane of summoner's rift?


AN: Hey everyone! This is an old story from a notebook I never bothered to type up. A good chunk of it is uh, almost a year old. Also, I haven't played League of Legends in quite some time, so forgive me if it is less than currently accurate.

* * *

Despite only playing League of Legends when Maki or Nico insisted, Honoka had still managed to rack up 15 kills as Lux before the enemy had surrendered. Maki was impressed; if slightly jealous, she'd been on a losing streak since she'd hit level twenty. It was only when she'd seen Nico and Honoka on that evening that her luck had turned around. Maki had wanted mid, but Honoka only knew three champions. She'd had a stormy bot lane as Quinn with Nico as her very… tempestuous Janna.

 _gg ez_ , Nico had typed into the post-game chat. Honoka was complimenting the other mid-laner. Maki sighed into the mic, but did not reprimand Nico, who was now telling them all to "get dunked and go back to wood 5, scrublords." She also did not mention none of them were even able to play ranked yet. If Maki were Honoka, she would give the enemy Ashe an honorable opponent and point out their high cs. She was not, however, and exited out of chat.

Maki looked at the laptop clock. 8:30.

"You two want to go again?"

Nico scowled into the mic. "We have a show in three days, you know!"

"Aww, Nico, just one more? We'll let you go wherever you want, okay?" Honoka used her team leader voice, bright and cheery and warm. The voice that convinced Maki to be an idol. "We won't even tell you to ward this time."

"Look, I needed the AP, okay? Wards are spoilers. A real gamer could sense the enemy coming."

Nico _did_ know just when to go into the bush to push a Garen into Maki.

"Maybe… let me go pee first."

Kotori signed on- her name was _Teemo Rising-_ and joined them in queue and chat. "Hey guys!"

"Hey! That math assignment kicked my ass…"

"Yeah… you got it done though, right Honoka?"

"I wish I hadn't…"

"Hello, Kotori."

"Hey Maki! Carry us, okay? I know you can do it."

"We'll see…" Maki had considered streaming before, but she wasn't sure the world was ready for a school gamer idol. A level 20 school gamer idol. "You'll ward, right?"

"Of course. Oh… is Nico here, too?"

"SUP ASSHO- Oh, is that Kotori?" Her squeaky little voice got squeakier." Hey! You aren't going to play Teemo this time, are you?"

Maki rolled her eyes. So transparent.

"So we're all playing then? Great!" Honoka started the match making. "Wanna bottom with me, Maki?"

Kotori and Nico giggled.

"Um, s-sure…" Her cheeks felt hot. Honoka sometimes said things that often had… double meanings.

"I'll support you, okay? I only really know Sona, though."

"Just make sure you buy some wards."

"Fuck you Maki, I needed that Mejai's more than you needed to get ganked even with wards surrounding your poor squishy body."

"Fuck you, Nico."

* * *

They were against a Nami and a Varus. Nami had the sea witch skin. Maki was a bit jealous; her parents absolutely refused to allow her to spend money on a game that was supposed to be free. (Her bare Quinn looked into her soul. _Maki,_ Quinn seemed to say, _Maki, are you sure you want to invest your time playing League of Legends?_ Maki had a feeling she knew the answer, but still the game loaded.) Honoka had a cheap Sona skin. Nico of course had Pop Star Ahri. _Run Devil Run_ was playing distantly over the speakers. Kotori had Omega Squad Teemo.

(Sometimes, Maki suspected Kotori had more experience playing League of Legends than she let on. )

"What, no skin, Princess?"

"I refuse to give this game any of my parent's money."

"Aww, but they're so cute. Especially DJ Sona and Arcade Ahri. Don't you want to be cute, Maki?"

"Are you saying I'm not cute, Nico?"

There was a silence. Maki was mostly amused, if slightly annoyed Nico didn't immediately tell her how cute she was, but the older girl was just so very prickly when it came to matters of cuteness.

Honoka jumped in first. "I think you're cute, Maki! Like really cute. Your hair is so pretty."

Maki truly blushed this time. Did Honoka mean like… Of course she didn't, they were just idol/league of legends buddies. Honoka probably thought everyone was cute. But… ff she and Nico hadn't been in the very act of squabbling, she would have sent Nico a message in the form of "!"

"Um," She straightened her speech into a low, breezy tone. "Thanks, Honoka."

"Maki is very elegant, Nico." Kotori's voice sounded friendly, but underneath there was a coldness to her tone. "But both of you should try to get along, okay?" There was a bite waiting beneath the surface as the game loading screen dragged on. Underneath it said: _Don't you two dare mess up this game with your bickering._

"Okay…"

Nico _hmphed._ "We do need to make costumes for the next song, I guess… and those do cost money…"

Kotori's voice went back to normal, almost her maid persona. "I think you're absolutely adorable too, Nico, don't worry. You can help me with costumes whenever you want, okay?"

Nico _hmphed_ again, but in a much more tsundere way.

* * *

"Okay, so press Q when they're hitting creeps, hit W when I need to be healed, stun them with your ult if we can kill them. If we need to run away, hit E. That's really it."

"And stack your Q on the fountain so you get the power cord." Nico sighed. "I think you should have taken exhaust with that ignite, but…"

"I just left it on, I didn't mean too…"

"Don't listen to Nico, Honoka, she took half of my kills last game. Flash and exhaust is the best for a support."

"Can't steal what you never had."

Maki watched the Teemo waddle top with the odd-person out jungler.

"You guys will all be good, right?"

"I'll come gank you all you want, Kotori."

"We'll do our best, Kotori! I'm sure Maki and I will work together great, right Maki? And we'll help mid too if they need it."

"…Yeah."

Nico exhaled in presumable amused. "Don't worry Kotori, we won't let you down."

They made their way down the map with ease; the random jungler had started red, Honoka trailing behind Maki with Sona's instrument tinkling. Sona suited Honoka, Maki thought. Weaponized music, healing music. It was as if Honoka's voice was distilled into a free-to-play character with unrealistic body proportions.

Honoka warded the river, and settled into the furthest bush with Maki. Maki wanted blood. She wanted tears. She wanted first blood.

Her pinkie was on the Q, itching for a hit.

Nami glided up, almost into the bush.

"We're going in, Honoka!"

Maki slammed Q, Valor flying at full force, and continued attack-clicking into the bush. Honoka followed up with a Q and a stacked power cord.

"Keep auto-attacking!"

"You guys better not die down there."

Honoka ignited the fish and Maki sent out one last desperate attack-click- (Ctrl +A) – and the fish was no more.

 _First Blood,_ the game announced.

"Oh my god, Maki, we did it!"

"Good job, Honoka!"

"You guys did it! Honoka, you did great as support. Keep up the good work, okay?"

Maki had never actually seen Kotori play as a support, and wondered what exactly Kotori knew about this game.

"Eh. Sona is easy. Keep farming, princess."

"We killed the fish, Maki!"

Maki smiled, and as she was well aware Honoka couldn't see it, she sent a little _3_ in the chat. "Your ward is almost out. Let's keep it up."

* * *

Varus never connected, and so it was an easy victory down bottom. They'd destroyed the second tower before anyone else had destroyed their first, and as Maki was nearing full build they swept into midlane to get some ganks for Nico, who didn't need to help, but Maki enjoyed bothering anyways.

"Oh, oops, sorry Nico, I didn't mean to steal that."

"Go to hell."

Kotori had shroomed most of the enemy jungle, and was collecting kills as the opposite team had been complaining in all-chat about _"that stupid hamster, only ****s play Teemo, uninstall you fucking no talent scrub, kys."_ Strangely, Kotori just giggling in a way Maki had never heard before.

 _Thanks for the full build, guys! 3 You tried, it's okay!_

The enemy surrendered at twenty minutes. Nico continued to trash talk in the end of game chat, and Kotori… joined her, in an odd sort of condescending chirp. Maki had considered Nico's crush on Kotori ridiculous at first, but as she watched the pair goad on the enemy team she reconsidered her stance on the matter.

"Well, I guess I should get to bed, guys."

"Night, you kill-stealing…"

Kotori spoke over Nico. "Goodnight, Maki!"

"I had a lot of fun, let's play more when we're done with the show, okay Maki? Goodnight, get a lot of rest, Maki."

"Thanks guys. And…" Maki was sort of flustered. "Sure, Honoka. It was fun." She signed off.

* * *

As Maki returned from her bath, her text notifications were going off. The first one was from Nico: _Kotori wants to bottom for me next, ayeeeeee._ Maki sighed, and hit the back button without responding.

The next message was from Honoka: _Can I top next time?_


End file.
